The Excalibur

Issue 1 November 2015

November 2015, Issue 1

Have a happy Thanksgiving from the

Excalibur staff!

- Upcoming 2015 Events -

11/24 NHS Induction Ceremony 11/25 Annual Turkey Bowl

11/26-11/27 Thanksgiving Break 12/7 Fine Arts Winter Program

12/18 Winter Ball 12/23 Christmas Show

12/24-1/3 Christmas Break

Nazareth – Better Than Ever

By: Xaviah Andrews Just three years ago Nazareth almost closed its doors with its back against the walls, and now it is thriving with new youth all over the school. There has been a huge increase in students, staff, technology, and sports as well. How did this happen you might ask? Well, the sports programs at Nazareth are achieving great things. The girls varsity basketball team is flourishing with new talent after winning the CHSAA championship, being led by Coach Ron, Head Girls Varsity Coach. Boys Varsity Basketball has worked non-stop to follow suit. The Nazareth Kingsmen Football team has been doing quite well for a team almost made up of completely new players. They still have many improvements to make and many obstacles to overcome but Rome was not built in a day. We will definitely see

even greater performances from them in the years to come. Kingsmen baseball has been doing amazing themselves also, under the supervision of Coach Quiles and baseball staff. Nazareth has been on its grind for the last 3 years and we know for sure that we will reach greater heights. Nazareth has been making a great name for itself in the community and it only continues to get better as new students come to Nazareth to experience what it’s like to be a Kingsmen. Even though sports has been doing top notch in the last few years to bring in new talent, it is not the only reason Nazareth has been expanding. Nazareth’s technology has been improving yearly, with new ThinkPad laptops being provided to help students obtain needed information,

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T h e O n l i n e N a z a r e t h R H S S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r

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Nazareth – Better Than Ever continued…

and work on projects and homework. Since 2013, Nazareth has been working efficiently to eventually obtain 1:1 computing devices. For those who don’t know, soon students will be able to have their own personal computers provided by the school to let the students work more efficiently without crowding the public computers around the school facility. The process for this new expansion in technology has already been started, as Nazareth will be setting up wireless hotspots around the school, so the students will have strong internet access across the building. New technology and computer science courses should be in at the beginning of the 2016 school year and it will teach students a bundle of things about technology, from general tech to more complex skills. Students could learn about filming, editing, web coding, HTML and a bunch of other great activities that might spark the interest of the young minds of Nazareth. Preparations are being made for the new changes that definitely will mark a new chapter in Nazareth history, we hope you’re ready.

http://www.facebook.com/NazarethRHS

http://www.facebook.com/NazarethRHS

http://www.plusportals.com/nazarethrhs

http://www.plusportals.com/nazarethrhs

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My Adventure at Six Flags Fright Fest

By: Egypt Billups On October 9,2015, some of the students and I went to Six Flags for Fright Fest, for a school trip. It was a blast!! When we arrived, the weather wasn’t what I pictured it to be. In the beginning, it started to drizzle a little, but that didn’t stop the fun! My friends and I went to the first ride we thought of, which was “Skull Mountain.” It was really scary, but we had a great time. Unfortunately, after we got off the ride, it started to rain heavily. The first thing I did was stress because I hate the rain! But, I realized that it kind of set the mood for being at Fright Fest. The real reason why my friends and I started to seriously panic was because a lot of rides were going to close down because of the rain. And guess what? We were right!

Unfortunately the ride I really wanted to go on, Kingda Ka, got closed down because of the rain. Thanks a lot rain!

After we got off the coaster, the zombies started to come out! At first I was scared, and was running around frantically! It was the like The Walking Dead out there! Eventually we got tired and decided to meet up with the rest of our group at the blood fountain. We got on the bus and headed home. Even though the weather wasn’t the best, I still had a great time! My friends and I decided to

take a break until the rain stopped, so we went to Nathans to get some chicken tenders and cheese fries. They were delicious! We waited for a little while and then the rain finally subsided. We were ready to hit the rides again! My friends and I had to figure out which ride we wanted to go on and decided to go on one of the roller coasters.

Visit our website at: http://www.nazarethrhs.org

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Comic Con – The Experience By: Aaron Orjiugo

Comic Con is a yearly convention, taking place in many states and countries, solely dedicated to nerd culture. Be it games, comics, manga, anime, YouTube, Twitch, artwork, films and popular or new TV shows, Comic Con is usually at the center of it all. New York Comic Con has been held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center for ten years now, with a size of over 800,000 square feet, there seems to be almost no time at all to do anything. One of the biggest exhibits for the past couple of years now has been the DC Comics exhibit. The past two years were marked by the 75th anniversary of both Batman and Superman. Costumes from all the movies and TV shows were displayed. This year the costume and gadgets for the upcoming film, "Superman VS Batman: Dawn Of Justice" were put on display. Illustrators of recent DC's published line were autographing throughout the four day weekend. Also free posters, postcards, collectible cards, and buttons were given out to the 170,000 people who attended this year.

Also, on the note of DC Comics, there was a Justice League cast reunion event with the voice actors of the show. Kevin Conroy who played Batman, Phil Lamar as Green Lantern, Static Shock, Hermes Conrad and a plethora of other characters. Marie Canals Babera as Hawkgirl, George Newbern as Superman, Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman and Carl Lumbly as Martian Manhunter. Sadly Michael Rosenbaum who was the voice of the Flash and Lex Luthor couldnt make it. Marie Canals said, "Its either a high school reunion or his birthday.“ I personally did not play much of the upcoming games on display, however, from what I witnessed, they were good.

Displayed games included: Naruto Shippuden 4, Street Fighter 5, Final Fantasy Explorers, J Stars Vs, Just Cause 3, Dragonquest, Star Wars Battlepod, Sword Art Online Last Song, Tales of Zestiria, and Dark Souls 3. The only game I played was Just Cause 3. Lastly, I always look forward to cosplay. Cosplay is the act of dressing up in a costume and playing out as that character. Some examples are a 9 ½ foot tall Iron Man Hulk Buster to a Netflix and Chill cosplay. Characters from recent live action TV shows to Charlie Brown shirts and Goku on a scooter. Although I have never cosplayed it is one of the most amazing things to look forward to at Comic Con. I can’t wait to return!

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Reflections of a Football Player

By: Prince Adeniji Going to school, doing homework, and playing sports. All of this takes a lot out of you. It’s nothing compared to college, though still, it’s quite exhausting. If you listen and pay attention, school work and homework are pretty light. But, not all of us can do that. Whether school work is easy or hard, homework just demands your free time, which your mind as a teen thinks it could be spent doing something so much more meaningful. Now the main thing which you love and have so much fun doing, football, now that's something you don't mind. Even though it is fun, there's the teammates who know how to annoy you, the coach who works you to the bone and then breaks you if you slip up by fooling around, but of course, every coach is like that. Though football coaches discipline you like they were once a military instructor, you still have a lot of feelings and thoughts. You may understand a play and have gone over it 100 times, each exactly the same way, but you always find yourself overthinking it in a game.

Some of your teammates are either too excited, too scared or just too calm, and no one knows what the outcome of the game will be, at least not till the last whistle is blown. Fear could easily consume you and throw you off your game. After a play, after the whistle, after the hike, you're always replaying your mistakes and trying to fix them on the next play, but no play is ever the same. Once you've been hit a few good times or dished out some really good hits, the danger doesn't feel like it’s really there. Realizing that feelings are only going to slow you down makes you so much more faster and stronger. When it comes to thinking, you don't have to do any more than what you need for right now, right this second, at this very moment. At the end, you can say it doesn't matter if you won or not, which would make for a pretty good feeling. If when you were out there, you did everything you could possibly do, you won’t be left with any regrets after that game. Most importantly for your players, did you guys play as a team.

A Z A R E T H

By: Shamariah McCullough Open House on October 15th, 2015 for the incoming freshman turned out to be a huge success. Currents students from Nazareth took time out their day and volunteered to escort 8th graders and their parents around the beautiful high school. Many kids were fascinated with the new technology that the school was able to display. Nazareth volunteers also went in depth to describe each class and what they had to offer, the extracurricular opportunities that are present at the school and described what general life is like at Nazareth. The teachers also gave a unique perspective on what their classes are like, what types of activities are done in class, the course material taught and they explained how welcoming Nazareth Regional H.S. is. There were also welcoming gifts given out to the incoming freshman as they arrived in the building. Ms. Fisher did an outstanding job describing the life of Nazareth and what it’s like to be a Kingsmen. By the look of the kids and parent’s faces, Nazareth will definitely get a tremendous amount of students next year. It’s safe to say that the open house was a success.

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Nazareth’s Open House – A Huge Success

The Xaverian Charism

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Nazareth Regional High School is a proud member of the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools. The vision of a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School has its origin in the charism of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier. This charism, the founding impulse of the Congregation, is a gift received by the Founder, handed on and developed throughout the history and lived experience of the Brothers, and further enriched and enlivened by the giftedness of those who collaborate in Xaverian Sponsored education. Together, the Xaverian Brothers and those who collaborate with them in their educational ministry serve as stewards for the Xaverian charism. “We Xaverian Brothers, associates, and collaborators are a true religious family, striving to fulfill the spiritual aspirations that Theodore James Ryken had for his Congregation. Following the path of our Founder, we are called to live ordinary lives that give witness to God’s unconditional love. We believe that the Xaverian calling is a way of being put in our place in the world, a place of humility and simplicity, from which we receive the grace to turn toward God, fall in love with God, and put ourselves in God’s service as followers of Jesus Christ. Within each distinctive life choice, we are further invited to attentiveness, simplicity, flexibility and openness to the common, unspectacular flow of everyday life. We unite ourselves to God through an integrated life of both contemplation and service. Through the Xaverian Way we are awakened by the Spirit of God to our own graced potential and freely offer that giftedness in service to the gospel. Through our ministry, in particular among the poor and the marginalized, we work to help others discover their own uniqueness so they, too, may “share the love of God with the world through their own giftedness.” In a spirit of hospitality, we try our utmost to be approachable and available, as true brothers and sisters who welcome others and accompany them in the joys and sorrows of their lives.” Recognized in the Xaverian charism are certain values that distinguish the spirituality of the Xaverian Brothers and are rooted deeply in the Brothers' history and traditions. These values are humility, trust, zeal, compassion and simplicity.

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The Excal ibur Staf f

Writers: Prince Adeniji

Xaviah Andrews Egypt Billups

Shamariah McCullough Aaron Orjiugo

Advisor: Mr. Bryer